Leo Guzman’s company is switching electric cooperatives from coal to clean energy.
The problem: Rural regions pay more for electricity and rely heavily on coal-powered sources.
The plan: Disrupt the rural energy economy and lead the transition to cleaner power.
Leo Guzman wasn’t looking to start a revolution when he cofounded Guzman Energy in 2013. Raised in a “very, very small town” in Cuba, he’d come to the U.S. alone as a teen, attended Columbia and Stanford (MBA ’71), and had a successful career in finance. He was still running his own brokerage firm, Guzman & Company. But he loved creating businesses, and his team was scouting for new opportunities in energy markets.